Do your Employment Contracts & Policies Cover Secondary Employment?
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Many employees hold second jobs. In most circumstances this is not an issue for employers, but what if it is? What happens when an employee can no longer meet the requirements of their role due to the impact of secondary employment or if that employment creates a conflict of interest?
To avoid finding yourself in this situation employers need to make sure their employment agreements and policies include clear obligations and expectations regarding secondary employment. At the minimum, agreements should contain clauses that cover:
Confidentially
Conflicts of Interest
Competition
And policies that cover:
Declaration of secondary employment
Prohibited secondary employment
Approval process
Having these in place and ensuring employees are aware of their obligations, employers will be well positioned to defend any unfair dismissal that arises as a result of termination due to unapproved secondary employment.